Nasa unveils X-59 aircraft hoped to bring supersonic, quiet commercial travel to the masses

The debut of NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft is hoped to revolutionise commercial air travel in the US, paving the way for flights that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

The aircraft, which is expected to travel at 1488.64 kilometres per hour, was unveiled at a facility in Palmdale, California.

It is a collaboration between NASA and Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace, arms and defence company.

“This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA deputy administrator Pam Melroy.

“In just a few short years we’ve gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time.”

The X-59 is at the Centre of NASA’s Quesst mission, which focuses on providing data that might help regulators reconsider rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

In the US and other nations, such flights have been prohibited because of the disturbance caused by loud, sonic booms.

NASA said the design, shaping and technologies enable the X-59 to achieve a quieter sonic thump.

“It’s thrilling to consider the level of ambition behind Quesst and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“NASA will share the data and technology we generate from this one-of-a-kind mission with regulators and with industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for US companies and benefit travellers around the world.”

The aircraft is just over 30 metres long and 9 metres wide.

Its thin, tapered nose, which is a third of its length, is said to break up shock waves that would normally result in a sonic boom.

A sonic boom is a type of shock wave that happens when sound waves generated by a plane add together to make a really abrupt sound wave.

This means the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the jet and does not have a forward facing window.

Instead, the Quesst team created an eXternal Vision System, which is a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor to the cockpit.

The engine was also mounted on top with a smooth underside to keep shock waves from merging behind the aircraft.

The next step for the project is to prepare for it’s first test flight.

Once NASA completes flight tests, the agency will fly the aircraft over several to-be-selected cities across the US, collecting input about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it.

NASA will provide that data to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators.

“Quick, quiet and quality takes on new meaning as we usher in a new era of quiet, supersonic travel,” said Lockheed Martin executive vice president Greg Ulmer.